What Is The Novitiate?

The novitiate of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph is located at St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati, OH. It is the house of formation for the men who have just entered the province and it is a time of continued discernment in preparation for profession of first vows. The novitiate year begins during first vespers of the Solemnity of the Assumption on August 14th when the aspirantsSt. Gertrude are vested in the habit of the Dominican friar and ends during the mass of simple profession a year and a day later.

The novitiate is a time to discover whether one is fitted for the Dominican life – a blend of apostolic ministry and contemplative prayer. The emphasis is on prayer, the common life, and the study of the Constitutions and lives of Dominican men and women, both past and present. It is a time to ask the question: Can I see myself in the future as someone other than a friar preacher? Can I imagine myself doing anything else that brings me as much happiness and fulfillment? It is also a time for the Dominican community to determine the suitability of the man for Dominican life. It is a time of discernment of God’s will.

Definition of the Novitiate

The Dominican Constitutions offer a Definition of the Novitiate as “...a time of probation directed to this purpose, namely, that the novices come to know more deeply their divine, and indeed Dominican vocation, experience the Order’s way of life, be formed in the Dominican spirit in mind and heart, and manifest their intention and suitability to the brethren (LCO 177).” These words serve as the foundation of any novitiate in the Order. Coming to knowledge of a religious vocation requires time, silence, prayer and solitude. Our Constitutions and the law of the Church require that a novitiate last at least one year. Silence provides the framework in which the Dominican can pray and study, which must always precede our preaching.

Father Damien Byrne, O.P., the former Master of the Order wrote that vocations are drawn to us by a desire to preach the Gospel and because of a love for study, but even motives as exalted as these need to be tested by the experience of sustained prayer and solitude. And while involvement in the apostolic life of the Order must not be omitted, that is not the primary purpose of the novitiate. More than just a time of probation, the novitiate is a place and it is people. For the past ten years the novitiate house for the Province of Saint Joseph has been located at Saint Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati, Ohio. One pastoral responsibility assigned to the friars of the house is the care of a large and vibrant parish; the novices and the Novice Master are part of this community.

Our novice brothers receive their most important formation by actually living the religious life. Classes in the life and traditions of the Order and assigned duties are part of the life but the matters that have primacy in the religious formation of our brothers are our communal celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. Each brother becomes familiar with the cycle of the Church’s celebrations by taking an active part in the planning and performance of the Mass and Divine Office. In addition to these, the novices are expected to receive the Sacrament of Penance regularly and to foster a love for Our Lord in the Eucharist and devotion to Our Lady, especially through praying the Rosary. Note that the Novitiate is common for both the cooperator brother and clerical brother candidates.

One day out of the week the brothers engage in some apostolate. Some work in a prison assisting the chaplain in his duties, others visit the homebound elderly of the inner city. Others are engaged in a hospital ministry or work with the disabled. Even though the apostolic component of the life is limited by the nature and the purpose of the novitiate, it is nonetheless a component that brings before our mind that the Dominicans are a missionary Order founded for the preaching of the Gospel and the salvation of souls. The fruits of our prayer and study are the treasures that we share with our brothers and sisters.